Researchers at the RAND Corporation set out to find some hard data on one aspect of the health law: Does having medical insurance protect young adults from the financial ruin that often comes with a major injury or illness? The quick answer: Yep. Since September 2010, the Affordable Care Act allowed young adults to remain on their parents' medical insurance until they turn 26, and have taken advantage of the new rule. The RAND researchers looked at nearly a half a million visits young adults made to emergency rooms in hospitals around the country before and after the under-26 provision took effect.